39 replies to this topic

[huisne]

I thought I'd open a topic if anyone else is interested in Super Formula. The last 2 races of the season are held tomorrow at the Suzuka circuit. Great track, great drivers, great cars, usually great races! Unfortunately not very good timing for Europeans.. 

4 drivers can still be champions, although I'd say only Ishiura and Kaz Nakajima have realistic chances. Standings now:

1. Ishiura 45 pts

2. Nakajima 39 pts

3. Lotterer 31 pts

4. Oliveira 31 pts

Grid positions for Race 1 (1 am GMT):
1. Lotterer

2. Ishiura

3. Rossiter

4. Kobayashi 

5. Nakajima

 

Race 2 (6 am GMT): 
1. Yamamoto

2. Lotterer

3. Nojiri

4. Nakajima

5. Kobayashi
6. Oliveira
7. Ishiura

 

I share the flat with a newborn baby right now so I will be up all night anyway   in case anyone else wants to discuss the races

[Risil]

Nice idea. Good luck finding the company! Does anyone broadcast Super Formula (bah, it'll always be Formula Nippon to me) in English?

 

And as someone who literally knows nahthing about Super Formula, what's Kamui Kobayashi been like this year? I'd have hoped he'd be able to keep pace with the likes of Oliveira, Lotterer and Nakajima.

Edited by Risil, 07 November 2015 - 20:34.

[maximilian]

I like this series.  Impressed someone is beating Lotterer... he strikes me as top quality driver.  Will be kickass for them if Vandoorne really joins up next season.  They need larger fields, though.

[Prost1997T]

I like this series.  Impressed someone is beating Lotterer... he strikes me as top quality driver.

 

It's Lotterer side job, he hasn't raced the full schedule since 2012.

 

Nice idea. Good luck finding the company! Does anyone broadcast Super Formula (bah, it'll always be Formula Nippon to me) in English?

 

And as someone who literally knows nahthing about Super Formula, what's Kamui Kobayashi been like this year? I'd have hoped he'd be able to keep pace with the likes of Oliveira, Lotterer and Nakajima.

 

He's some way behind them in 5th overall.

[MNader]

where to watch?

[Seanspeed]

I like this series.  Impressed someone is beating Lotterer... he strikes me as top quality driver.  Will be kickass for them if Vandoorne really joins up next season.  They need larger fields, though.

Vandoorne will probably mop up if he goes there.

[huisne]

It's Lotterer side job, he hasn't raced the full schedule since 2012.

 

 

 

He has done all races this year though, there was no clash with WEC. Nakajima missed a race because of the vertebrae injury he picked up in the Spa WEC race. 

I think there are a lot of strong drivers in this series. Maybe they wouldn't be that strong in European series, but since they have been racing in F Nippon/ Super Formula for a long time, some Japanese drivers are really good here and  beat the European drivers who are maybe stronger overall. Lotterer has always driven well in Japan, he is always among the best, but he never dominated and has only one championship title to his name so far (he has been racing there for more than 10 years). But yeah, as someone pointed out, in the last years he always missed races because of other commitments.

 

I would be really curious to see what Vandoorne could do next year. I think he will be fast and a race winner, but he will need time to get into the rhythm. 




 

[huisne]

where to watch?

 

I always find some online streams, they are usually in Japanese language though. I can PM if you want.

[MNader]

I always find some online streams, they are usually in Japanese language though. I can PM if you want.

 

 

please do

[Wes350]

Vandoorne will probably mop up if he goes there.

 

 

Don't be  too sure....

 

There are a good half dozen or so active guys out there in various series that only missed out on F1 due to $$$...,

 

Not lack of talent.

 

.

Edited by Wes350, 07 November 2015 - 22:45.

[huisne]

Don't be  too sure....

 

There are a good half dozen or so active guys out there that only missed out on F1 due to $$$...,

 

Not lack of talent!

 

 

.

 

I think that's a bit of exaggerating. Can you name those half a dozen drivers?

[Myrvold]

I think that's a bit of exaggerating. Can you name those half a dozen drivers?

In different series?

 

https://www.driverdb...ce-eligibility/ many on this list

[Marklar]

In different series?
 
https://www.driverdb...ce-eligibility/ many on this list

and that are not even all.....

[Kev00]

It should be noted though that vandoorne will be driving a honda. They have 1 race win in the last 2 years.

[huisne]

In different series?

 

https://www.driverdb...ce-eligibility/ many on this list

 

Oh I thought he was referring to the Super Formula. In other series, of course there are... 

[Prost1997T]

It should be noted though that vandoorne will be driving a honda. They have 1 race win in the last 2 years.

 

 You're right. Another motorsport series they fail horribly at...

[Disgrace]

Still, they have BTCC.

[huisne]

Little more than half hour to the  Race 1 start and it is raining or at least the track is wet. 

[huisne]

OK guys my stream is not working. Anyone has a good one? 

[Zava]

seems like we're not missing out on much:

 

 

(not my screenshot, I don't have a stream either)

Edited by Zava, 08 November 2015 - 01:05.

[Volcano70]

Any T/S anywhere?

[huisne]

Damn, no stream was frustrating... Race 1 has just ended. Lotterer won, he was untouchable during the whole race, quickly built up 6-7 seconds of lead and kept it till the end. Ishiura came 2nd, Kobayashi 3rd, Nakajima 4th. 

 

The championship will be decided in Race 2, but even a 8th place would be enough for Ishiura. 

[Volcano70]

Thanks for the info huisne.
Ishiura has the championship in the bag.

[huisne]

Lotterer had a strange season, 3 victories so far (more than any other driver) but in the rest of the races not even a podium, even a 11th and a 8th place... Meanwhile Nakajima was more consistent, 4th is his worst finish. Ishiura also benefits from consistency and the fact that he did not miss a race unlike Nakajima. 

[muramasa]

Kamui's front brakes on fire on the starting grid, the start aborted.

Maybe got brake cooling wrong for the rain.

[huisne]

2nd race starting now, still raining. 

[muramasa]

 You're right. Another motorsport series they fail horribly at...

Toyota surely has better engine but better teams and drivers as well. In SF, like other spec series, there are quite a big difference in capability between teams. Toyota has a formidable team in TOMS and other strong teams like lemans, impul and inging while Honda only has some good teams like mugen and dandelion.

[AllenT]

Wet track, where is red flag ? 

[muramasa]

Lotterer had a strange season, 3 victories so far (more than any other driver) but in the rest of the races not even a podium, even a 11th and a 8th place... Meanwhile Nakajima was more consistent, 4th is his worst finish. Ishiura also benefits from consistency and the fact that he did not miss a race unlike Nakajima. 

 

the thing about SF is that it has only 7 rounds and 8 races with not much track time. Some unlucky and bad races and you are off. Even Vandoorne and Lewis had bad streak of races in the season if you pick up 4 or 5 races.

Also tyre allocation has been limited from this year, teams can use less set of tyres throughout a weekend which added further gamble factors into it.

Plus the series has a tendencies to benefit experienced drivers for some reasons.

Still good drivers always come on top of course.

[muramasa]

Kobayashi started from 19th or 18th and now on 9th

[huisne]

The race has ended. There was not much excitement regarding the championship. Yamamoto won with a clear advantage, Nakajima 2nd, Oliveira 3rd, Ishiura 4th and champion. Congrats!

[muramasa]

Yamamoto powered by Honda won

 

Ishiura 4th to be 2015 champion, congrats, he has been fantastic this season!

[huisne]

Just read on Twitter that someone referred to Super Formula as a "feeder series". I find it a bit funny that a lot of people think that, because I definitely wouldn't call it a feeder series... F1 hardly pays any attention to it, and usually the experienced drivers are winning races. 

This year's top finishers:

1 Ishiura - 34 years old, 10 seasons in Super GT, 6 seasons in SF (/Nippon)
2 Nakajima - 30 years old, former F1 driver, WEC factory driver, 5 seasons in SF
3 Lotterer - 33 years old, 13 seasons in SF, 9 seasons in Super GT, WEC factory driver

4 Oliveira - 34 years old, 9 seasons in SF, 10 seasons in Super GT

Doesn't look like a feeder series to me. And that's why I don't think Vandoorne would be a winner straight away (even with Toyota engine), theye guys have so much experience. They know the tracks and everything very well. 

[huisne]

Bit strange, Tom's celebrating the team's championship title on the podium, but only Nakajima is up there, Lotterer isn't. 

[muramasa]

I think Vandoorne would do great if in TOMS, and should do as good as or better than whoever teammate (incl. the likes of Lotterer, Kaz, Kob and JP) in any other team. But how well he would do in overall standings depends hugely on the team's form of the year as well as luck throughout the season. That's the same for any other series, GP2 reward experience as well (most of the drivers there have been racing on the same tracks since junior series) and rather big gap b/w top teams and lower teams, but SF might be a bit more "fixed" due to series size, weekend format and calendar.

 

Depending on Honda engine's improvement next year, Stoffel would shine a lot in teams like Mugen and Dandelion I think. Also tyre will switch to Bridgestone to Yokohama from next year, so some things will be on level playing field.

 

I'm skeptical he will actually race in SF next year, but it seems at least he will participate in winter testing, so it will be interesting to see how he'll do, looking forward to it.

[huisne]

Part of me wants to see Vandoorne already in F1 next year, but the other part of me is really curious to see what he could do in Super Formula. 

Anyway, are there any SF drivers officially confirmed for next year? Will all the big names continue? 

[muramasa]

agree, wanna see him in F1 but also SF as well.

For Stoffel it would be much better to race in Manor than in SF I assume so hopefully he will get F1 seat tho.

 

I'm not so sure about SF driver market affair for next year but most major drivers should stay.

 

what SF needs seriously is more rounds, ie races in places like Shanghai, Korea as well as Malaysia Thailand etc. They changed its name from F-Nippon to Super Formula in an ambition to make it pan-Asia, what Indy is to US continent and what GP2 etc is to Europe. Otherwise the series would collapse in a shrinking domestic market and declining younger generation. Seems organizer is well aware of it, but limitations coming from some regional disputes and "national sentiments" (all ignorant) are playing some role in preventing that from happen.

[HistoryFan]

I think Vandoorne would do great if in TOMS,

But it's very unlikely that he will drive for TOM's as he is Honda backed and TOM's is Toyota backed...

[muramasa]

But it's very unlikely that he will drive for TOM's as he is Honda backed and TOM's is Toyota backed...

 

It's hypothetical as mightve been clear from 2nd paragraph and the overall context. SV would need to be in a best team, not one of those teams, to shine just like he was in GP2, and the best Super Formula team is TOMS.

Even if engine were parity, Toyota has the best team and bunch of excellent teams whereas Honda has got only one or two good teams atm, so Honda cars would have difficult times no matter what.

[Prost1997T]

Just read on Twitter that someone referred to Super Formula as a "feeder series". I find it a bit funny that a lot of people think that, because I definitely wouldn't call it a feeder series...

 

It's worth FIA superlicence points, maybe that is why? It used to be a feeder series in the direct sense back in the days of R. Schumacher, Irvine etc.